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Flowers to attract bees and other insectsWildlife-friendly plantsMaking a stag beetle bucketCreating a bee hotelBrowse a variety of plants that are attractive to wildlifeView a selection of plants with spring flowering bulbs

, and perhaps the exotic, invasive harlequins have met their match with our harsh winter weather. I wonder how the citrus longhorn beetle has fared this winter. Luckily we don’t have those in the window frames, or I would be worried!I'd love to know if your

stems are perfect for the bee hotel. Easy to gather and cut, they are available in a range of diameters, including 3-5mm, as preferred by the bees.Attracting insects and wildlife to your gardenPlants for beesWildlife-friendly plantsMaking a stag beetle

must be the swift snatching up a flying insect. The last few evenings have been very good for insects bumping up against the lighted windows of the kitchen. Monday saw a female stag beetle, upturned, legs in the air, as she bumped into the wall

I don't really do birds. I'm usually too busy peering down at insects on flowers or running across leaves. Or I'm on hands and knees, bum in the air, turning stones over looking for ground beetles or grubbing at plant roots for weevils

and insects abound. There's an increasing list of scarce and unusual insects turning up there.On 26 June I was there on a blistering hot day and the whole place was abuzz with wildlife. Two insects stuck in my mind. One was a tiny, but very pretty, picture

in when the old one sprung a leak. Our pond is raised, three railway sleepers high off the ground, so these two females and a male had managed to scramble up and climb in. There's not much else going on in the water yet - no boatmen or beetles or skaters

on the sills for the half-tame squirrel. We duly obliged.On their return we got to chatting about gardens and wildlife, what the swifts were up to, how many stag beetles had come flying over. When talk turned to the half-tame squirrel I was told, very

first thought were dark lines of silt washed along the high water mark were actually strand lines of dead insects. I listed over 100 species, including many beetles, but the vast majority were the winged male and female black ants. I tried to do a rough

on to their precious cargo. I'm not too worried about the grass, but I am concerned that without the damp September air, will I get to see any autumnal wildlife?I photographed these ink caps, Coprinus comatus, a few years ago in Brenchley Gardens in Nunhead